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I have been full-time teaching for a few weeks now and I have to say the day goes a lot faster! One of the reasons it goes so fast is because the 5th graders change classes. It has good points and bad points. I like getting to see different faces and getting to know all of the students. However, when it comes to grading tests and collecting the activities they do, it is just triple the work! I graded their chapter test one night and I had to grade 70 tests altogether. It took me a little over 2 hours to do so. I can't complain though, thats just one of the things that goes hand in hand with teaching haha all the extra work that is done outside of the classroom. It is one of the best feelings while grading papers and seeing students who struggle do well. I'm so proud of them when I see that they can exceed their expectations of themselves. I also love seeing their faces when I pass the tests out and their "YES" expressions. I know they feel their hard work has paid off. It still breaks my heart when those select few don't do well though. I make study guides and try my best to help them but I just don't know how to get them motivated and really study the material at home. I've asked students who don't do well if they studied and most responses are no that they didn't have time to or they forgot. They know in advance when the test is and I make sure everyone writes it in their planner. I feel their homelife is a factor and if the parents or whoever their guardian is isn't making studying a priority then they most likely will not. Maybe more communication with parents and asking to them play an active role could help.

Red Ribbon Week!

This week is themed "Red Ribbon Week" to represent taking a stand against tobacco and drug use. The students signed a petition that they will say no to those harmful substances. Then each student receives a red ribbon to wear thoughout the week. Each day is different: Monday: Put a cap on drugs; wear a hat. Tuesday: Sock it to drugs; wear crazy socks. Wednesday: wear red. Thursday: saying no is no sweat; wear sweatpants. Friday: School Spirit; wear school colors. I love seeing all the kids get into ech theme for the day. I've been going along with it as well. I have to say I am looking forward to sweats day the most haha. I like having themed weeks that have a meaning behind it because the students get really into each day's theme but are learning that they are dressing that way for a specific reason. I especially feel strongly about this theme because I am in a 5th grade classroom and this is the age where they may start questioning these issues or be presented with them. They will be going to middle school next year and there is no doubt in my mind that the children will be experimenting with these issues. I hope this week leaves an impression on them and in someway gets through to them to really say no against tobacco and drug use. I hate seeing kids grow up too fast and really want my students to not only learn about the content material in school but to learn about things that build character and morals. At this age group it can be hard to stand up to your peers and students need to know that they can still be "cool" and do what is right! =)

Is Vocabulary Important To You?

My Action Research is on integrating the creative arts for vocabulary comprehension. Before I start trying different things, I wanted to get each student in my homeroom class to give me their input and answer a few questions. I made up a survey for everyone to take. The questions I asked were:
Do you think learning vocabulary words are important? Why or why not?
Does understanding what each vocabulary word means help you better understand reading a story? Why or why not?
How do you study for your vocabulary words before tests?
What are some activities that you would like to do in the classroom to help you better comprehend a vocabulary word's meaning?
Do you like visuals when learning new vocabulary words? Why or why not?
After my students finished this survey I analyzed it by seeing how my students study for vocabulary and what their preconceived thoughts are on the importance of learning vocabulary. I also took into consideration their ideas of activities that they would like to do to see if it something I could implement into my action research. At the end of my 6 weeks I will give another survey asking students questions that see if they liked the activities that were tried throughout the weeks and if their thoughts on the importance of vocabulary has changed as well as their study habits.

Full-Time Teaching

Next week is when I start my full-time teaching. I will be now teaching Reading, Spelling, Language Arts, and Science. I'm used to the way Reading, Spelling, and Language Arts are done but taking on Science will be new to me. The 5th graders change classes therefore I will be teaching Science 3 times during the day to the different classes. I'm nervous being that Science isn't my strongest area. I am also nervous about doing experiments and demonstrations because I hope to successfully teach the material so that the students are really learning and grasping the material. I may have to do some studying and refreshing my memory on the science concepts being taught! I think as long as I really prepare then it should go well. I'm excited to getting to know the other 5th grade classrooms better. I've only been teaching my homeroom and with the other two classes I've just been helping out but now I will be actually teaching them and get to know every single one of them. I'm really enjoying 5th grade! I didn't think I would care too much for this age group being that I am used to the little ones and have always loved being around them. I am finding out fast though that 5th graders still have that loveable and innocent side to them just as the little ones do and I am having so much fun connecting with them on a personal level as well. :)

Behavior Management

Something I have tried implementing recently is a behavior management tool. The 5th grade students tend to talk out a lot without raising their hands and by this age I feel they should know what is expected of them. They should be used to a structured environment and be more responsible being that they will be going off to middle school next year. Maybe it is the hormones kicking in and them wanting to do what they want but I think discipline is very important in the classroom and having things under control plays a role in a student succeeding in their academics. There are classroom rules up in the classroom that the students are aware of such as completing the morning routine, locker times, and raising hand, etc. I told the students anytime they break a rule then the first time would be a warning, the second then they would have to write the rule they broke 5 times, and then the 3rd time they would get a stick taken out of their name pocket. Each student has a stick in their name pocket that is hung up in the room for everyone to see. By the end of the week if no student has a name taken out of their pocket then I would pick out something from the suggestion box. The suggestion box is where I allowed students to write ideas on a piece of paper that have to be appropriate and educational related to something that we could in school. The students love it and get excited if I pick from the suggestion box. However, students are still tending to talk out but I think it is because it is my fault for my not being more firm with them. I think if start enforcing the rules they will be more apt to follow them.

Time Management

This coming week I will now be teaching Reading, Spelling, and English. I'm a little nervous because of time management. All three subjects are to be done within an hour and twenty minutes. In the past, I am used to doing 45 minute lessons just on one subject. I guess I am just worried about making sure I cover everything appropriately and get what needs to be done. However, I do not want to go too fast just fit to fit everything in and then the lessons not be of enriched quality. I want students to still get what is being taught and not just a matter of getting everything done. I think as long as I balance everything it should be fine.
The first day might be a little shaky but once I get the feel of how everything plays out then I will have a better grasp on managing my time and how I should plan everything. I will get a feel of what I know can be done for each subject area with that alotted time. I'm looking forward to teaching more content areas because I find myself getting more and more comfortable as each day passes and adding on another subject makes it even more easier for me to understand how the classroom works and I'm getting to know my students' needs and abilities more as well.

Getting Students Motivated

Last week and this week I have been teaching Spelling and Reading. One of the things I have noticed is that students have a hard time getting motivated in the classroom. Many students tend to get lazy and not care to pay attention. A lot of students do poorly on tests and do not keep up with their homework assignments. Something that all three of the 5th grade teachers do is give out stamps when students are "caught being good". After they receive so many, then they are rewarded with the choice to have free time on the computer, eat lunch with a friend, etc. It works really well with some of the students but there are still those select few that just dont seem to care either way. I really want students to get excited to learn and study. I feel like when I was in elementary school everyone got A's and B's. I see so many students failing and getting below average scores. Today I told the students that they were having their Spelling test on Friday and that if every single student got at least an 80 percent on the test then I would have a surprise for them next week. They got excited when I told them that so I am hoping that this is something that could get them motivated to want to study and do well. I also want it to become something that turns into a good habit for each student. I don't want students just doing well because of a reward but because they see the importance in getting good grades. I guess we will see Friday how the students do and if it is something I should continue to do. Perhaps each week I may raise the goal of the test grade being higher.

Teaching Spelling

This week I started teaching Spelling everyday for the 5th grade class. The word list was made up of words that are frequently misspelled. For the first day, I had the students fill out sentences with the correct usage of a word from their Spelling list. I allowed them to pair up and work together. I like seeing students work together because I like to see how they choose to work. Some students take turns while others might say them together. Some students split up the work and do it on their own then come back together to share answers. On Wednesday, I had the students create stories using their Spelling words and underlining the word within the sentence. After the students were finished, I put them together to make a book. The following day i shared the stories with the students and gave them the option of reading it aloud to their peers themselves or if they wished for me to do so. I think students like sharing their work with others because they are proud of it and feel it is important. I enjoy seeing them get excited to share what they did. Thursday was the review and we had a Spelling Bee and I had it be boys vs. girls. I notice the students get competitive and really enjoy it. Next week I plan on trying different activities to switch it up and see what works effectively for the students. I'd like to use the whiteboard and get students engaged through using that which I think works well for visual learners.

First Week at Valley Elementary

I was excited to be able to see how the process of a school year starts before the students actually arrive. All of the schools in Preston County met in the gym at the high school for meetings and speakers and other issues to be discussed. It was a great experience seeing all of the schools come together and what the thought process was in getting things started for a new school year. The next few days were spent at Valley doing things such as scheduling, planning, and reviewing WesTest scores. We also met the new principals. Valley now has two. It was nice meeting and talking to Valley teachers that I never had a chance to do so with before. Everyone is so friendly and helpful. I really feel like the Valley staff is a family and I love that I get to be a part of it. I also love my mentor teacher, Mrs. Newbrough. She is the 5th grade Science teacher and has been awesome to work with. At first, I wasn't sure if I would like this age group but I have found that I am really enjoying it! The students thus far for the most part have been very well behaved to my surprise. I am looking forward to this semester and being able to teach more than before. However, I have to admit that I am a little nervous to be teaching Science being that it is not my strongest content area but I know I have a great mentor teacher who will help me along the way.

Practicum Plan

I think the practicum plan as a whole was a great idea for us that had the intention of being very beneficial. However, I feel it wasn’t necessary. It just caused me more confusion in what the expectations were within the assignment. We have the checklist and syllabus that tells us due dates and what assignments we are to do and what is entailed in each one so I do not feel creating an additional assignment for us to organize it helped much.

I already have a homework agenda where I write down everything anyways so this was just extra work for me. I understand this may have benefited some students who maybe don’t write things down on their own but I feel we should have had the option then on how to complete the assignment so it is effective for our personal use. I think if we were provided with multiple options then this definitely is a great way to get us all started. For the future I would keep this assignment but make adjustments to the format. I also think it should be shown and completed within the first two weeks so right from the beginning before all the assignments start building up then we are already prepared and aware of what to expect.

Characteristics of the Novice Teacher 2nd posting

Characteristic 3: The novice teacher should recognize teaching is a professional, moral, ethical enterprise. The novice teacher must recognize what is appropriate and what reflects one being a professional in the eyes of a child by setting good example and being a good role model. Being professional is shown through your dress attire, your teaching, and your attitude. It is important a teacher knows how to be professional in such an environment because you are constantly being watched and making an impact on a child. This all goes along with understanding moral and ethical enterprise as well. It can be hard to allow personal beliefs into the classroom but the novice teacher must balance what is to be taught and not allowing too much of your own beliefs influence someone. Allow students to make up their own minds but present the information and all sides. The artifact I feel represents this characteristic is my character education lesson. This lesson was about responsibility and I taught it in a pre-school classroom. I did a read aloud and talked with the students about the different ways that you can be responsible and examples of ways that are irresponsible. I also had the students come up with new ways if they could think of any where they will try to be responsible in. This artifact really shows how the novice teacher can practice professionalism, moral, and ethical enterprise all into one lesson. Characteristic 8: The novice teacher should be a reflective practitioner. As educators, we are lifelong learners as well. The only way to learn and improve the classroom is to be reflective practitioner. The novice teacher reflects after lessons whether it is written down or just from ones memory of how a lesson went or a behavior or practice in the classroom that the teacher wants to look further into or something new. A great way to put your reflections into practice is doing research and conducting new practices in the classroom to see what works and what doesn’t. An artifact I would use for this characteristic is when I videotape a lesson. This will show exactly everything I need to see in how I teach and how my students are while I teach. From this video, I can then reflect and decide what I need to do to better myself and my teaching strategies. I will be doing this in the beginning of full time teaching and in the end to see how I have improved. This artifact is a great example of being a reflective practitioner and can be done more than once. It is something that makes reflecting a lot easier I think because we obviously cannot watch ourselves or really be observant to every detail that is taking place during a lesson whether it is with ourselves or how the students are behaving. The video allows us to see how it all plays out and you can watch it as many times as needed thus allowing the reflection process to be a lot more beneficial.

Learning Goals

One of my learning goals this semester is to improve my classroom management. Specifically what I am working on is to manage the volume in the classroom and keeping students on task. I am currently in a pre-school classroom and students at this age level aren’t use to much structure yet. They like to talk out and can get very loud. However, this can be a case in every grade level as I have had to deal with these issues in past classrooms before as well. My mentor teacher has been giving a lot of great advice and feedback after seeing me work with the kids and doing lessons. She told me what I should work on to reach my goal is to have confidence when disciplining a child and show my authority. She also said to speak louder when I do so. I have really been working on this and I can already see some improvement where a few of the students listen to me after being told once now. I used to have to repeat myself over and over or they would just totally ignore me.

I had to make some changes in my plan because I didn’t list other activities that I would do other than the assignments we were already given. Making these changes is really making me think more about how I can improve and reach my learning goals. I want to add things that I can try out in order to succeed.

I know my mentor teacher will be a great help in this process because she will give me constructive criticism. She will also do many observations that I can reflect on and make improvements where needed and give me any other suggestions. I will also be video taping a lesson that I do so I can watch myself and see how my classroom management skills play out.

Characteristics of the Novice Teacher

Characteristic # 4: The novice teacher should be a facilitator of learning for all students.

For this characteristic, it is very essential for the novice teacher to understand and recognize that each student does not learn in the same way or one specific way for that matter. Every student learns differently and in different ways for various content areas and tasks. The novice teacher must be able to differentiate for their students’ needs and provide learning opportunities that benefit them as well as give them a chance to reach their full potential even though lessons will be challenging. The teacher must be able to differentiate and modify lessons where it is needed. Variety in the classroom is a necessity with things such as assessments and other required assignments, tasks, etc. for the students. Not every student is on the same level so tiered instruction is important as well.

An artifact that I would use to exemplify this characteristic is my Literacy Workstations project that was completed in Education 461. For this project, we had to plan a Tiered 1 Reading Instruction. The way in which the instruction was set up was I had whole group instruction, small group instruction and literacy workstations and writing instruction. The students were split up into high, high-medium, medium, and low level reading groups. I chose the book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid to be the center of my lesson plans and majority of the assignments for my whole and small group, and my writing instruction as well as a few literacy workstations. Activities were set up to give students the chance to work individually, in pairs, and in small groups and then come back as a whole. The literacy workstations were provided with much variety by providing an “I Can…” list for students to have options to choose from for the tasks they were to complete.

These two tie in together because the Literacy Workstations project is an excellent example of showing how the novice teacher can be a facilitator of learning for all students. The teacher had to come up with tier instruction and differentiate for the different levels of students. It shows the understanding the teacher has in knowing what her students’ needs are and providing activities that match those individual needs.

Characteristic # 2: The novice teacher should be an effective communicator.

In this characteristic, the novice teacher must practice and maintain good communication skills whether it is with parents, students, or other faculty members. In order for there to be success in the classroom, a teacher must be able to effectively work cooperatively with others. Nothing will ever get accomplished if a teacher cannot verbally express reflections or needs in the classroom. When it comes to communication with students, a teacher must be able to explicitly explain instruction for lessons. Also, the teacher should be able to express praise or address where improvement is needed to each student. When communicating with the parents, a strong relationship should exist. The parents should be aware of what is taking place in the classroom and know if there is anything that needs to be done at home to continue their child on the path of success. The parents and teacher need to work as a team. Finally, when working with other faculty members, a novice teacher needs to understand they part of a team at the school as well.

An artifact I chose for this characteristic is an assignment we had to complete for Education 401. We had to complete a task in which we had to reach out to the parents of the students in our PDS classroom this semester. I wrote an introduction letter that was sent home to the parents. I had to state who I was, why I will be working their child, and some of my goals and ambitions. I also assured them that they could put their full trust in me for my time being with their child and if they had any concerns or questions to feel free to address me.

I think that assignment was a great way to show how the novice teacher can be an effective communicator. It showed my skills in expressing who I was to the parents and being open with them as well as leaving the opportunity for them to get back to me if they chose to do so.